<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Snippets of a Simple Cleric by VelvetRaspberry</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22535782">Snippets of a Simple Cleric</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/VelvetRaspberry/pseuds/VelvetRaspberry'>VelvetRaspberry</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Shin Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Ken | Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Mostly Canon Compliant, POV Original Character, Wolfguard-centric</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 13:14:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,254</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22535782</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/VelvetRaspberry/pseuds/VelvetRaspberry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>An ordinary citizen of Aurelis gets herself involved with the Aurelian Resistance and then the entire War of Shadows. FE11 fic.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Reasons for Resistance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi everybody! This is my first time posting anything on AO3, and this is a redux of a fanfic I originally posted on FFN... but never finished. Hopefully I've improved on things since the original. I will figure out an update schedule when I can; my life is in much flux.</p><p>I'm not sure what else to say, so I hope you enjoy. Thank you for reading.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Aurelis was officially at war.</p><p>Word about Gra's betrayal and Altea's fall to Dolhrian forces spread throughout the country like wildfire several months ago. Yet not even the divine blade Falchion falling into Dolhrian hands satisfied the Dolhrian manaketes' hunger for total human subjugation. Nations either joined under Dolhr or succumbed to its military might. Gra, Grust, Khadein, and Macedon all allied with Dolhr to protect themselves. Archanea and our motherland, however, stood their ground. We of the plains all braced ourselves for the coming inevitable conflict, but nothing could have prepared us for the brutality of the Macedonian invasion...</p><p>With my healing staff strapped to my back, I held tight to the horse I was riding while it galloped as fast as it possibly could, forced onward with nothing but a blazing inferno and a pair of wyvern knights behind us. Some of these invaders had the idea to scorch the entire field of long grass by setting it aflame; the little village I stayed at noticed the burning flames and the approaching figures a little too late, and everyone had descended into panicked chaos by the time the Macedonians reached the gates. Someone lent me a horse, convinced me to get on and ride away... They should have just taken the steed out instead of me. I couldn't ride a horse properly. I didn't even know how to steer!</p><p>Questions buzzed in my head as I continued to head towards who knew where. Everywhere looked exactly the same with a sickening red heat invading the cool summer night air. I hadn't the foggiest idea which direction I faced, or even which direction I wanted to go to, but if I stopped or turned, the Macedonians would take me down. How long had I been riding? Why did they even pursue me this far? I was only a simple cleric! Perhaps they thought that I would lend my magic to the Aurelian military's cause? Honestly, I wouldn't mind that at all... Too bad they were becoming difficult to locate; the Macedonians kept forcing them to retreat despite all their valiant efforts. At some point, I and many other Aurelian civilians started to fear that they would eventually stop appearing at all.</p><p>The terror of feeling my body fly off the horse's saddle snapped me out of my reverie. I tumbled along on the ground, unable to stop my violent rolling until my stomach slammed into the base of a tree. Ow... Geez, that hurt. I scrambled to my feet and looked around in a panic for the horse.</p><p>I could not find the horse.</p><p>The horse ran off without me.</p><p>The realization made my heart sink in my chest. I turned to the direction of the flames, and sure enough, the wyvern knights still continued to flap their wings towards my direction. I had no idea what to do anymore. I could have been anywhere in the country, given how empty the vast plains appeared. If they caught me, which seemed a much more inevitable outcome now, I'd be dead meat. I had no weapons, only my staff and some other assorted medical supplies, and I wouldn't have been able to knock out any trained professional long enough to get away. Yet I wasn't ready to die. I tapped my head hard with my hand, hoping to rattle my brain into giving me a plan, any plan.</p><p>I got one.</p><p>I hid behind the tree.</p><p>Perhaps the Macedonians hadn't noticed me falling off the horse and would pass me to continue chasing it. It wasn't much of a plan, but it was all I had. I took some deep breaths to help center myself while I moved to shrink my body to take up as little space as possible. The more I thought about it, the more comically terrible my plan felt. But I had to keep calm.</p><p>I kept calm until I heard the wyverns descend to the ground behind me. Oh Naga, did they...?</p><p>Shouts for me to reveal myself told me they had.</p><p>...Blast it all.</p><p>I stayed behind the tree, too frozen by my nerves to move. The Macedonians' footfalls only grew louder. To my ears, they sounded like a distorted bell chiming ominously for my doom. I pulled my staff from my back and gripped it tightly in my hands. I had to fight somehow. As soon as the sound of their breathing registered in my mind, I leapt out from my cover and raised my staff up for a hit.</p><p>Except when I tried to strike one of them, they easily knocked my staff out of my hands and subdued me. Now I was stuck in place, with one of them tying my hands behind my back while the other, a man with a brown goatee, watched me struggle with a condescending sneer.</p><p>"So, girlie, you're a cleric?"</p><p>"Y-yes," I answered, trying to look defiant but most definitely failing.</p><p>"Any affiliation with the military?"</p><p>I shook my head. In response, the man ripped my traveling pouch from my side and began to rifle through my personal belongings.</p><p>"We'll see about that."</p><p>I sighed, pushing down my intense desire to protest the blatant violation of personal space. The man pulled out some flimsy, worn out papers, quickly scanned them, and carelessly tossed them to the ground. Hey, those were letters from my hometown! I bit my lower lip, but still didn't dare to say anything.</p><p>"Useless," he said, "nothing we can use." Then he threw my pouch to the floor too, scattering all of my belongings...</p><p>"She had that staff there, sir," his companion spoke up, still holding me hostage. This guy's voice sounded younger and less gruff.</p><p>"Indeed, Ben, but we have plenty of those already. Healers, on the other hand..." The man in front of me started idly pacing around in circles as if lost in thought. Suddenly, he stopped walking and snapped his head right at me. I reflexively leaned back from the intensity of the gesture and accidentally bumped into the other guy. I straightened myself back up immediately.</p><p>He came right up to me and said, "Well, girlie, I just had a great idea. How about you come work for us, hm? Patch up our battle wounds and all that. We're short on healers, so we'll spare your life for your magic."</p><p>Now I had to say something. "F...For Macedon?! Never!"</p><p>At that, he violently grabbed my chin and jerked my head upwards to meet his stony gray gaze. "That wasn't a request. You're our prisoner either way," he hissed. I couldn't help but shrink back. Satisfied, his eyes turned to his companion. "Let's go back and report. Keep the girl from falling off."</p><p>"Yes, sir!"</p><p>They headed back to their mounts with me in tow. I couldn't believe it. The Macedonians wanted me to help them conquer Aurelis? Wow, this was a fate worse than death. Just then, a sharp whistling soared through the air, accompanied by some distant clopping sounds. My two captors stopped in their tracks and darted their heads around, searching for the source of the noise. The one named Ben had finally released me and pulled out a sword, but then something stabbed through his head, and he fell over dead. I looked down. It was a javelin.</p><p>"What the- ?" The other Macedonian had his spear at the ready. It turned out not to help him much, because next thing I knew, a mounted knight on a horse had closed the gap between them and run him through with a lance. Meanwhile, arrows darted from behind and shot both the wyverns down before they could retaliate, I really couldn't do anything to react to any of this other than stand there in total shock. After all, my hands were literally tied behind my back.</p><p>A green-haired bowman on a horse emerged from the shadows. He and the knight that charged out before converged in front of me, but I relaxed this time, for their uniforms and crests were clearly Aurelian.</p><p>"Are you okay?" The one with the lance, a pink-haired young man, spoke up.</p><p>"Y-yes, I'm all right, thank you very much. You two saved my life!" I tried to make some gestures, but just ended up flapping my arms behind my back.</p><p>They noticed. The green-haired one dismounted his horse and approached me with a disarming smile. "No need to thank us, Sister. It's our duty as knights to protect the innocent. Speaking of, do you need a hand?"</p><p>I nodded shyly.</p><p>He went behind me and promptly cut the rope binding my wrists. I promptly stretched. Moving my arms had never felt so nice before.</p><p>"So..." the pink-haired one started, "can you use healing magic?"</p><p>"Yes, I can. It's all I'm good at, really."</p><p>"Hmm, I see... Uhm..."</p><p>He opened his mouth to say something else, but seemed to think better of it and shut it again. He looked at me more pensively now. I noticed the green-haired one glance at him with a knowing look, as if he could read his mind. Then he turned to me.</p><p>"Sister, what my friend Roshea wants to say is that we could really use the help of more healers like you."</p><p>"...Eh?"</p><p>"I'll be frank: even with Coyote leading us, we're falling back under the Macedonian forces, and we're losing a lot of men to injuries and illness. We'll be forced to go fully underground soon."<br/>
My eyes widened. It couldn't be... "Wait, does that mean Macedon...?"</p><p>"Has conquered us, yes."</p><p>I started to tremble with fear. Roshea spoke up again, "Don't worry, Coyote and His Majesty are still with us! We're still fighting, and we won't give up until we see Macedon gone. In fact, Coyote just sent Sedgar and I here to patrol and scout ahead." Hearing that immediately quelled my fears, and I let out a sigh of relief. Then he continued, "And that's how we found you."</p><p>"Right," I responded. I started steeling myself for the harsh days ahead. "Uhm, if you're asking civilians for help, you must be in some truly dire straits."</p><p>Roshea nodded. "I'm reluctant to bring more people into war, but everyone's in trouble now, so we can't avoid it."</p><p>"That's not to say that you have to come with us, Sister. We're not here to force people to fight. We're here to give you a choice between cowering in fear from the Macedonians or working with us under Coyote to resist their tyranny," said Sedgar, "so... what do you say?"</p><p>If there was no choice, then so be it.</p><p>"Of course I'll come with you!"</p><p>They both grinned. "Excellent," said Sedgar. "With that decided, we should hurry back to where the camp is and report to Coyote, ahh... What's your name, Sister? Sorry we didn't ask earlier."</p><p>"I'm Violette. It's an honor to meet both of you," I said as I curtsied politely. "You guys don't have to call me Sister though."</p><p>"It's our pleasure, Violette. I'm Roshea, and that's Sedgar. Anyway... I noticed someone's belongings scattered around over there... Are those yours?" The pink-haired knight asked. His index finger pointed towards the tree I hid behind.</p><p>"Oh, yes! Those Macedonians did that, those brutes... Please allow me to gather them quickly."</p><p>"Sure thing, but do hurry. We've already stayed here for too long," answered Sedgar.</p><p>I rushed to get my things together, and then Sedgar let me ride on his horse with him back to the Aurelian military's base. I had no idea what lied in store for me or for Aurelis ahead, but one thing was for sure now: I wouldn't take Macedon's abuse lying down.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Mystery Princess</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi guys, thanks for tuning in again. I really enjoy reading fics like these, and I'm enjoying writing one of my own! I want to say I'm going to update this fic every three weeks, but with the Pokemon Rescue Team remake and New Horizons both coming out soon, I feel like I'm gonna drop the ball...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I paused from taking inventory to stare out the infirmary's window with a sigh. I couldn't believe that over a year had already passed since the start of Macedon's invasion and with that, my joining the Aurelian Resistance. The weather looked wonderful with the clear blue skies and the sun's bright rays warming the plains today, but the grass... had withered. We've had a bit of a dry spell here lately. I couldn't help but blame Macedon for it, though I tried to shake the thought out of my head. Not even tyrants could control the weather.</p><p>"Hey, Violette!" A voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned around to see a woman with blue hair tied in one braid and a lance strapped to her back. A man with red, brushed back hair and a sword sheathed to his side stood behind her. Both of them were carrying some wooden crates.</p><p>"Oh, hi, Lon. And hello, Vyland. Are those crates for here?"</p><p>"Yup!" Lon replied. Vyland nodded as well. "We've returned with some spoils of war! All useful, of course. Now where do you want us to set them down?"</p><p>"Over there is fine," I said, pointing to the one spot in the corner that didn't have stuff scattered around. </p><p>They promptly put their cargo down, and Lon stretched. "Geez, those things are heavy! It's like carrying twelve people's armor!"</p><p>I gave Lon a look. "Please don't tell me you brought armor here. There's no room for storing any extra stuff."</p><p>"It's fine, Violette. We're sure they're all medical supplies," Vyland said casually. Then he straightened up before continuing: "By the way, Coyote said he'll be heading here later today, so please be prepared to receive him. Also, we'd appreciate it if you could tidy up the room a bit before then." He eyed the pieces of bloodied gauze that littered the floor. I looked down at the mess too and some blood left my face. I... had meant to clean those up before starting to take inventory...</p><p>"Yes, of course, Vyland. Thank you for telling me." I bowed while my mind reeled at the thought of Coyote coming here. Even though I was stationed at the main base of operations, Coyote himself rarely had reason to use this room, so I rarely saw him. Was he all right? Did he have business with me? I hoped I could be of use to him... Or was I in trouble for something? I don't remember causing any issues, though... unless stealing Lon's biscuits at breakfast counted.</p><p>"Nah, you're not in trouble. He just needs your help," said Vyland, as if he read my mind. Oh, thank goodness!</p><p>I nodded, clearly relieved. "So does anyone on your team need healing?"</p><p>"Not really, we had no casualties this time! Just minor scratches and stuff. Impressive, right?" Lon struck a triumphant pose.</p><p>"Yes, I'm glad everyone's all right. Still, please tell them to come here if any of their wounds get infected or anything."</p><p>"After what happened to Roland... Yeah, I'm sure they will."</p><p>The mood suddenly got heavier at that. Then Vyland broke the silence. "Okay, enough chatter, Lon. We still need to help carry the other stuff."</p><p>"But Vyland, I'm sick of it already! I need a break!"</p><p>"Too bad," he replied, dragging her out of the room with a tight grip on her elbow. Before fully leaving the room, he looked back at me and said, "See ya, Violette. Take care of yourself too."</p><p>"Yeah, let us know if you need help with anything, like lifting!" Lon added as Vyland dragged her away.</p><p>"Yes, yes, of course." I waved at them with a smile as they left. Then I stood facing the now empty doorway and giggled. Even in times as bleak as war, people can be so lively... Anyway, I should get back to taking inventory. No wait, I had to clean first. Why did Coyote want to see me personally anyway…?</p><p>Yet before I could attempt to do anything, I heard footsteps enter the room. “Violette,” a gruff voice addressed me.</p><p>“Huh?” The voice felt familiar, though it wasn't one I heard too often. I turned my head to see none other than Coyote.</p><p>But I didn’t even get to clean up anything yet! Flushing with embarrassment, I dropped everything on the floor and bowed as respectfully. "Um, good afternoon, Coyote! I apologize for the mess…”</p><p>He glanced around the room. “It is no issue at all.” His gaze turned to my feet, and then there was a mix of concern and amusement as his eyes met mine again. “Just don’t trip yourself there.”</p><p>Oh. My face grew even redder at the realization that I just made a bigger mess. Holding back a sigh, I hastily picked up the items I had dropped in shock only a minute earlier and all but shoved them into a towering pile of still unorganized goods.</p><p>Coyote patiently waited until I was done with my sad attempt to clean up to say anything more.</p><p>“Violette, I’m entrusting you with a very important patient today.”</p><p>His eyes flashed downwards. I followed his gaze and noticed that he was carrying an unconscious woman in his arms. My, she looked battered, with her extravagant clothes torn and almost ruined. The sight of her in his arms that way made me think of one of those delicate damsels that always get saved by some valiant knight in fairy tales.</p><p>"This is Princess Nyna of Archanea. I found her during the skirmish at the border. How she reached Aurelis is a mystery to me, but it's clear that she had a rough journey. She needs immediate attention."</p><p>"O-of course! You can count on me."</p><p>I led him to the bed closest to the window. I smoothed the sheets out and he laid her down gently.</p><p>Coyote nodded. "Thank you. I'll come to check on her later." He walked out, presumably to attend some other business. That man was always so busy managing the whole Resistance. To think that he approached me personally… and tasked me with caring for a princess!</p><p>I examined my sleeping patient. Her silky dress was covered in dirt and torn in a bunch of places. Small cuts were littered all over her body, and her hair ornaments were falling out. Despite her current condition, she was stunningly beautiful; her pale skin seemed like porcelain and her golden locks shimmered in the sunlight from the window.</p><p>…Okay, that's enough gawking. I've got to tend to her wounds. While I applied disinfectants, I sensed her aura, something only magic users gave off. The surprising amount of power sent a shiver down my spine. She must have been well trained in tomes. Or staves. Or both, even. If only people could heal themselves with their own magic… I doubted she would look as bad right now otherwise.</p><p>Thankfully she didn’t harbor any deep wounds. I didn’t even bother picking up my staff to heal them, instead channeling my magic through my fingers to close up the various cuts. Once that was done, I tucked her in with a blanket and turned back to the messy inventory. She needed to sleep, and I needed to clean up…</p><p>About half the day passed before she woke up. I didn’t quite get to finish sorting the inventory before I heard a groan and bedsheets rustling behind me, but at least the place looked much cleaner than before. Now I could be less embarrassed when Coyote returned.</p><p>“Hello, Your Highness,” I said as I put on my most disarming smile and turned to face her. “How are you feeling?”</p><p>She sat up in the bed with perfect posture. “Hello. I am all right, thank you,” she replied, her deep blue eyes studying me. Even as a patient in the infirmary, she held a regal bearing.</p><p>I tried to say something else, anything else, but no words came when I opened my mouth.</p><p>I tried again.</p><p>Same result.</p><p>Heat rushed to my cheeks as an awkward silence then filled the room. My throat closed up even more, it seemed. Now was most definitely not the time for this! All the while, Her Highness continued to stare at me blankly. Oh, I was the world’s biggest fool.</p><p>“…Who might you be?” She asked, her delivery slow and deliberate.</p><p>I blinked. Finally, I forced my voice to make words exist. “U-um! I’m Violette, and I’m just a cleric in service to Coyote.”</p><p>“Coyote… He brought me here?”</p><p>“Yes. This is the infirmary. Coyote carried you here and tasked me with tending to your injuries.”</p><p>“I see…”</p><p>She fell silent, her slender fingers tracing the various rips in her dress’ sleeves. Something in the slowness of her movements told me that she couldn’t remember where any of them came from. Many questions for her came to mind, like ‘where did you get all of those wounds?’ or ‘how did you escape Archanea and make it to Coyote?’. Yet my gut told me that nothing I had in mind made for appropriate conversation at the moment. I also had to wonder if a commoner like me was allowed to chat with a princess in the first place. So I held my tongue. Perhaps I should just leave. She needed time to herself more than any healing aid.</p><p>“Would you like me to prepare you a bath? And get you a change of clothes?”</p><p>Her head turned back to me, and her eyes softened at the offer. “That would be much appreciated.”</p><p>“I’ll be right back, then.” I bowed and started to leave the room. I had scarcely gotten down the hall when I nearly crashed into someone face-first.</p><p>“Ack!”</p><p>A pair of hands grabbed me by the shoulders and steadied me before my face met chest armor. Face flushing, I looked up at the person in front of me. It took a moment to register…</p><p>“…C…Coyote?! I’m so sorry!!”</p><p>“It is of no consequence, Violette,” he said quickly, his hands letting me go. “I was simply on my way to the infirmary. How is Princess Nyna?”</p><p>“She will be all right. She just needs plenty of rest…” I trailed off. Was it all right to say more than that?</p><p>Of course Coyote noticed my hesitation. He wouldn’t let that slide. “…Is there something more I should know about?”</p><p>“N-no. I was just… wondering...” I pursed my lips. Was it all right to voice my questions about the princess?</p><p>“About how she reached Aurelis?” He guessed.</p><p>I nodded. I assumed that was permission to ask him.</p><p>He sighed. “It is a mystery to me as well. We received word that she would arrive at the border. While I could not make myself fully believe it, it was too major a lead to risk ignoring. So we went. And there she was… Quite strange. I will have to ask her about that.”</p><p>“Mmm… I don’t think she wants to talk about it. At least… not now. Coyote, if I may say so…” I waited until I received some sign of approval to continue, “in my experience, it’s best not to push people while they are recovering.”</p><p>He nodded. “Wise words. I suppose that we can push the matter aside for the time being. The most important thing is that she is safe and sound here.”</p><p>“Yes. And perhaps being with us will lift her spirits a little? She looked really down, and I couldn’t think of anything appropriate to say…”</p><p>“It is a difficult topic to breach. She lost her entire family and country. No words could be enough to assuage the level of grief she must be feeling.” A pause. His face looked thoughtful. “Yet now we can help her move forward. It’s the only thing we can do at this point.”</p><p>“Forward…” I repeated. The sentiment it represented tasted both foreign and familiar at the same time.</p><p>“Indeed. Violette, I believe that is what healers like you do best.”</p><p>“Huh? Really?”</p><p>He locked eyes with me. His eyes held true sincerity in them. “If I did not believe so, I would not say so. You may not fight on the front lines, but as a healer, you help mend our soldiers’ bodies and hearts after battles. The other soldiers speak very well of you. Your aid has been invaluable to the Resistance.”</p><p>A rush of emotions flooded through me at his kind words. Mostly pride in my calling as a cleric. Unfortunately, I got tongue-tied again and could only bow humbly in response as I thanked him.</p><p>“Of course. A leader should always give encouragement when needed.” A pause. “My apologies for the ramble. I should check up on Princess Nyna. Keep up the good work. And keep your head up high.”</p><p>With that, he headed into the infirmary.</p><p>I forced my pounding heart to slow down. Somehow that was the most casual conversation I’ve ever had with Coyote. How was Coyote so much easier to talk to than to the princess? It couldn’t truly be mere familiarity now, could it?</p><p>Shaking the thoughts out of my mind, I continued on to prepare the bath I promised the princess. Perhaps feeling clean would help her move forward.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Partner Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi guys, thanks for coming back. Hope you're all safe! I'm a bit late on the 3 weeks thing. This corona virus panic is messing with my headspace, and it's hard to write like this. Video games are pulling me through, but that also means I haven't been writing! Oops.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For better or worse, I didn’t see much of Princess Nyna after she fully recovered. Not that I minded much; every time I did a check up on her, she had a stiff air about her, as if she wanted to keep everything about herself closed up in a glass cage... My only issue was that I had to lend her some of my nicer robes and dresses. I had a distinct feeling that I’d never get them back, and I couldn’t afford to buy myself much of anything right now, much less extra clothing.</p><p>I’d be lying if I said she didn’t look better in my clothes than I did. That woman could probably make a potato sack look like a high-end fashion trend.</p><p>“Violette, stop spacing out!!”</p><p>A loud clap rang out in front of me. I recoiled a bit. Lon sat across from me at one of the tables in the mess hall, frowning. Her breakfast was almost done. Mine was half-eaten.</p><p>“I-I’m sorry.”</p><p>“What’re you thinking about anyway?”</p><p>“My… clothes.”</p><p>Lon tilted her head. “What about clothes?”</p><p>“Er… the ones I gave to the princess.”</p><p>“Oh! But that was months ago already… You’re sure never getting those back, and you should accept that right now.”</p><p>“I didn’t need you to tell me that.”</p><p>“Can’t be helped, though. You’re the closest in clothes size to her… and the least sweaty.” She nodded, mostly to herself.</p><p>I stared at the sleeve of my white robe. “Really…?”</p><p>Lon just shrugged, a carefree look on her face. I gave her a look. Fortunately, whatever tension would have arisen from that flew away as we heard someone cough next to our table. Both of us jumped at a certain purple-haired man’s appearance.</p><p>“Wolf?!” We yelled in unison.</p><p>“Settle down,” he replied blankly, as if him sneaking up on us was normal… it wasn’t!</p><p>Lon calmed down first. “Rare to see you here. Whaddya need?”</p><p>“I have business with Violette.”</p><p>“Me?” I asked.</p><p>Wolf’s one visible eye turned to me. His stoic gaze seemed to bore into my soul. “Yes. I need to discuss some matters with you as soon as possible.”</p><p>“U-understood.”</p><p>“All rightie… I’ll just leave you two to it then.” Lon took her last bite of sausage and carried her plate away, but not before sending a ‘good luck’ wink my way. I smiled back before looking back up at Wolf.</p><p>“I’ll wait for you outside the mess hall,” he said before he walked away.</p><p>I had to swallow my nerves and the rest of my breakfast in a flash, and then I found myself following Wolf through our base like a lost puppy. What did he need from me? He didn’t see fit to say much of anything… and I was afraid to ask, so we walked in silence.</p><p>We eventually made it to a large room, drab and empty save for the multitude of items and boxes scattered about near the walls. In the center of it was a single horse. A proud Aurelian mare. Her colors brought to mind powdered cinnamon. Wolf led me straight up to the mare, and I instinctively channeled my magic into my fingertips to give her a checkup. Thankfully she was completely unharmed. I turned my head back to Wolf in hope for an explanation.</p><p>“That’s your new horse.”</p><p>“…Huh?”</p><p>“When you first joined the Resistance, Sedgar told me you had lost your horse.”</p><p>I nodded dumbly.</p><p>“We need you to ride one now, so we decided to give you this one.”</p><p>“Umm… I thank you, but… I run the infirmary here…?”</p><p>Wolf sighed. “Let me explain. Coyote has started formulating plans to assault more fortified forts under Macedonian control. His rationale is to take advantage of their attention being split between us and another force.”</p><p>My eyes went wide. “You mean…”</p><p>“Macedon’s control of Aurelis is starting to slip, yes. We do not know who this other force is or what their motives are. All we know is that they have presented us with an opportunity that we intend to take.”</p><p>“Naga above, that’s a miracle!”</p><p>Despite the joyous news, Wolf could only give a curt nod. “Perhaps, but do not let your guard down. It means we need to execute riskier operations. From here on, Coyote will need to take more men away from the base for longer periods of time. That includes a medic with sufficient medical experience. Violette,” he looked straight at me, “after much discussion and an evaluation, you’ve been chosen for this role.”</p><p>I could only stare back. Wait… was this a promotion…? When did an evaluation on me happen?! I racked my brain for any memory of such a thing but found nothing.</p><p>“Back to the horse… how well do you ride?” he asked, ignoring my stunned silence. He wasn’t going to share anything about this evaluation, was he? I could only assume that he spent time spying on me from the shadows or something. Classic Wolf.</p><p>I awkwardly petted the horse next to me. She gave no reaction. “…Not well.”</p><p>“You will need to master horseback riding before we leave for our first assault. I will give you three weeks… and I will instruct you personally.”</p><p>That made me jolt. I’d heard from Sedgar and Roshea about Wolf’s teaching style: harsh and incredibly effective. Wolf went to grab a saddle from one of the boxes along the walls. I steeled myself for whatever Wolf would throw at me as he walked back towards me. I wanted to be a good student!</p><p>“Let’s begin.”</p><p>Wolf’s training was about as forgiving as I imagined… by which I meant not at all. This room had no windows; time didn’t matter here, only how many times I fell off the horse. I counted about… twenty times so far? Maybe twenty-three.</p><p>“I admit I see improvement,” Wolf’s voice cut through my thoughts. “Barely.”</p><p>I forced myself up from the stone-cold floor yet again. The horse trotted back to my side, already familiar with today’s routine. She seemed ready for more… a stark contrast to me, panting from exhaustion and soreness all over my body.</p><p>Wolf approached me. His expression remained stern. He opened his mouth to elaborate on his point, but then he got interrupted.</p><p>“There you are, Wolf!”</p><p>Sedgar entered the room with a handful of envelopes, heading straight for Wolf. "I snatched these from a Macedonian scout just now. Coyote said to give them to you." He handed the letters over. Then he saw me remounting my horse and quirked an eyebrow. "Violette? What’re you doing?"</p><p>"She's practicing her horseback riding." Wolf explained in a rather uninterested tone before I could respond. He ripped open the seals of the envelopes and started reading the documents one by one.</p><p>Sedgar sauntered over to me with confusion written all over his face. "Since when do you know how to ride a horse?" He'd seen me fail miserably before.</p><p>"Er…Wolf taught me today." I answered meekly. Sedgar glanced at Wolf, who was too focused on the papers to notice, then back at me. His expression didn't change at all.</p><p>"What for?"</p><p>"He said I'd need it as a field medic."</p><p>"Hm. So you're the one.” Sedgar nodded to himself, then grinned at me. “As expected! Good job, Violette, I knew you could do it.”</p><p>I stared at him. “Wait, you knew about this?”</p><p>“Sure did! You got glowing reviews from everyone we asked. Not that we have a lot of options anyway. For one, I can still count the number of staff users in the whole Resistance on my fingers.”</p><p>“That’s true… Admittedly, I wish we could have another cleric here at the main base. It would make my job much easier.”</p><p>Sedgar laughed. “Sorry to say, we’re all horsemen here instead. I agree with you though; more magic would be nice.” He paused, lost in thought. "It's strange how things are starting to fall into our favor like this."</p><p>I nodded. "I'm really surprised to hear about another group."</p><p>"Yeah. While it may be a godsend to us, this outside intervention is certainly cause for suspicion. What if it's a trap?"</p><p>"Like what?"</p><p>"Like a Macedonian ruse."</p><p>"The fastest way to discover a trap is to spring it." Wolf suddenly interjected. He stood next to Sedgar now. Both of us blinked; since when was he there? "It may end in our favor, and it may not, but this is the brightest opportunity we have had since we were forced underground. Coyote wants to seize the chance."</p><p>"True." Sedgar replied. "Well, whatever Coyote decides to do, we'll follow him to the bitter end." We all nodded in unison. "So Wolf, what were those letters about?"</p><p>Wolf gave the papers in his hand another look over. "A high-ranking officer fell in battle some time ago. His whole force is said to be eliminated. The letters describe the opposing side as a small army emerging from the Ghoul's Teeth. I suspect that this is a report of Macedon's first major encounter with their new adversary."</p><p>"So they came out of the Ghoul's Teeth…" I mumbled.</p><p>Sedgar stroked his chin in thought. "It's definitely not the Soothsires, as simple bandits are several cuts below professional soldiers. They ruled that place since Macedon started invading, though. Intriguing." I idly wondered what became of the Soothsires. Perhaps they all got killed. Naga knew they deserved it… like the Macedonians did.</p><p>"To pass through a place with such an ill reputation speaks well of their strength…I will report this to Coyote." Wolf walked off, but not before taking a side glance at me. "Keep practicing, Violette." He ordered sternly, as if he just knew I'd shirk my work. After making sure that I got his message, he left the room.</p><p>“Wolf is so harsh,” I sighed. My shoulders sagged the moment he was out of sight.</p><p>Sedgar shrugged. “It’s okay, he’s like that to everyone. Mostly. I can safely say that he doesn’t actually hate everybody, he just… has trouble expressing himself. Please have patience with him.”</p><p>I fidgeted with the reins. “Right now I feel like he’s the one who needs patience with me! He seems annoyed that I can’t ride a horse.”</p><p>“He just wasn’t expecting you to be that bad at it.”</p><p>I frowned. This was too discouraging…</p><p>“Are you still up for practicing? If you ask me, I think you need to spend some quality time with your new steed first. You look too nervous with her.”</p><p>“Nn… Quality time?”</p><p>“Yeah. You know, like feeding her, grooming her, or just being together. Have you even given her a name yet? That’s important too.”</p><p>I shook my head as I dismounted. “I’m sorry. Wolf started teaching right away, and it slipped my mind.”</p><p>“Don’t apologize to me, apologize to her!” Sedgar pointed at the horse.</p><p>I faced the horse. She turned herself so she could take a better look at me… I think. Her color brought to mind a name right away. “I’m sorry… Cinnamon. Do you like that name?”</p><p>She came closer to me in response. I guess that meant yes. I tried giving her a hug. She seemed to lean into it, and I felt some tension leave me as I kept hugging her.</p><p>“Congrats Violette! This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” Sedgar nodded with a smile.</p><p>I smiled back. “I hope so!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Expedition</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi again! Thanks for coming back. I appreciate you! &lt;3 </p><p>I'm doing better than before, I think. I've been playing too much Animal Crossing... Am I late? I wanted to sync upload time to Sunday night again. I also wasn't sure how to go about this chapter, so I overhauled more than I expected to... and ended up with mostly OC to OC interaction. It probably won't happen again as the Resistance meets up with Marth and his friends.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Three weeks of Wolf’s horseback riding training turned into four, and then five. Wolf never outright snapped at me during the lessons, but he worked me to the bone. Afterwards I could safely say Sedgar and Roshea were right: Wolf’s training worked. Cinnamon seemed to have gotten used to me too, after I started spending more time with her. It's only thanks to Wolf and Sedgar's help that I possessed enough skill to go on the expeditions now.</p><p>I breathed in the crisp air, admiring the grassy green scenery during my first march. Resistance members weren’t allowed to wander around outdoors without good reason, and since my job never gave me such an excuse, I never got to leave the base. I was thankful for the opportunity to finally go outside again… at least, until I got my first taste of fresh battle.</p><p>It was only a small skirmish with a patrol force that got a bit out of hand. Yet it left me exhausted, and I didn’t even fight! Wolf had warned me about the hectic nature of the battlefield multiple times, yet nothing could have truly prepared me for this level of chaos. I had to go in between enemy blades and friendly fire in a mad dash to reach wounded allies and chanting healing spells as fast as I can, all while trying not to get skewered by Macedonians. Rapid casting while constantly watching my surroundings drained me a lot more than I could have anticipated. Cinnamon was the only reason I still breathed at the end. It's a miracle that I hadn't fallen off the saddle either.</p><p>The battle finally ended when the enemy commander fell... I think. I wasn’t paying attention. I just went about my duties and patched everyone up as things calmed down. Business as usual, now with more sunlight in my eyes.</p><p>“Thanks, Violette! You saved me!” A young man beamed at me, flexing his now fully healed axe arm.</p><p>“Of course, Alex, it’s what I do. Just be careful. You still lost a lot of blood.”</p><p>“I know… I’m sure glad you’re with us, though! Look at how quickly you got everyone back in fighting form!”</p><p>I tilted my head. “Huh? But this is my usual pace?”</p><p>He laughed. “No, I mean… Just having someone doing staff things makes a huge difference! Giant gash in your leg? Boom! In minutes, it’s good to go with that magic stuff you do.”</p><p>“Not always…”</p><p>“Good enough for fighting though! Before today, if I got hurt like that, I’d have trouble focusing in the next battle, since it’s not healed and we don’t have people, and if my attention wavered for just a second…” He got quiet,” “I’d end up like them.” He pointed at the scattered Macedonian corpses. A sinking feeling began to settle in my stomach as I gave the battle’s carnage a proper look for the first time.</p><p>Alex let out a gasp like he just realized something. “Ack, sorry! I ran my mouth again… and about depressing stuff too.”</p><p>“It’s all right. You speak from the heart and mean well. Earnest people like you make the work worth it. Thank you.”</p><p>I gave my patient one last smile before I stood up and started to head back to Cinnamon. I also took the opportunity to take in my surroundings… and immediately regretted it.</p><p>Corpses donning Macedonian armor littered the plains, the grass tainted with pools of blood here and there. I couldn't look for long; it was too red, too disgusting. I dared to glance at some of my allies. The stoic faces, the dull, lifeless eyes... Everything at that moment revolted me. A bloodbath of broken bodies and scarred souls…Was this the true face of war? The thought chilled me to my core.</p><p>Something touched me.</p><p>I jolted.</p><p>Now my butt was on the ground.</p><p>I stood up and tried dusting myself off like usual, but I shuddered at the sensation of wet blood and ended up dirtying more of my robes instead. Someone then grabbed me by the shoulders. I stopped fidgeting only when I saw Lon in front of me. "Hey, you okay?"</p><p>"Y-yeah, I'm fine."</p><p>She scowled. “‘Fine,’ my butt! You look barfy." Her face softened. "Come on, what's the matter? You can tell me. I'm your friend."</p><p>“Well, uhm…the battlefield was… I mean, is…” My words came out slowly and very deliberately. "It’s horrible. I never realized how…how sickening war is at the front lines. How do all of you live like this…?"</p><p>That earned me a guilty look.</p><p>“We should have prepared you for this,” Lon muttered quickly, more to herself than to me. There was a long, awkward silence as Lon tried to find words for me. "Violette… we're soldiers. This is what we do. We have to prepare ourselves for this day in and day out. Everyone knows that we're fighting for the future of the whole continent. If we don't fight, then who will?"</p><p>“Oh…”</p><p>She shifted her weight. “You don’t swing a sword or anything, but… you're the one that patches us all up after, aren't you? Keeping us healthy? That’s important too. That simple fact of being there for us makes you like a little ray of sunshine in our gloomy days. If you're down, then others will notice and be sad too. So you've got to cheer up, okay?"</p><p>Lon’s words reminded me of Coyote’s words from the day I first met Princess Nyna. And of what Alex said just a few minutes ago. That said, I was never sure if I actually did have an impact on the Resistance's morale. I hadn't really noticed if I did. Healing people was really just my job… However, I decided not to dwell on it at that moment and just accept the kind words.</p><p>"Thank you, Lon." I gave Lon a hug.</p><p>"No problem! If you ever need to talk, you can come to me. We're friends, after all." She returned the gesture, and then we headed towards the rest of the Resistance.</p><p>Thankfully no one on our side had died… yet. I had to keep it that way.</p><p>I had to get myself together. I had to help them. This was my role in this conflict, I realized at last. I’d better make peace with it now… or I wouldn’t be able to help anyone where it matters most.</p><p>With a shaky breath, I offered up a prayer to Naga:</p><p>
  <em>Please protect them.</em>
</p><p>Wolf and Vyland urged everyone to continue marching once everyone had gotten a short rest. However, we hadn’t gotten very far before everyone stopped and stiffened at the sound of galloping steadily getting louder. All of us turned around, poising for battle. Instead of the Macedonian reinforcements we expected, though, two cavaliers stood before us…and they didn’t bear Macedon's crest. Their faces certainly weren't Aurelian either. If they didn't hail from either Macedon or Aurelis, then…could they be…?</p><p>The one in green bade his horse forward, holding his free hand in the air. "Peace. We do not wish to fight… You are the Aurelian Resistance, right?"</p><p>"We are." Wolf stepped forward in response. Everyone else lowered their weapons. "Who are you, and what business do you have with us?"</p><p>"I'm Abel, and my friend over there is Cain." He gestured to the knight in red. Cain offered a short, quick nod. "We heard the sounds of battle while patrolling from our camp and came to see what the commotion was about."</p><p>"Your camp?"</p><p>"Yes. We're part of a larger group. Perhaps you’ve heard word of us?"</p><p>"Perhaps we have… That crest. That is Altea's."</p><p>Both of the foreign knights nodded. I noticed a glimmer of pride in their eyes at the mention of Altea. "It is. Cain and I are knights of Altea. We joined our liege, Prince Marth, in exile for the last two years. He now leads the remaining Altean knights and various others in a campaign to defeat the Shadow Dragon and topple the Dolhrian Empire."</p><p>Abel stopped and glanced at everyone behind Wolf. The sheer shock must have been clear on everyone’s faces. Altea was on the opposite side of the continent and stuck under Dolhr's oppression, not to mention how we all heard how Gra’s army betrayed and slaughtered the Altean knights and King Cornelius. Prince Marth was another confusing piece to the puzzle. Dolhr was still searching everywhere for him. Their desperation showed with how high the bounty on his head was: over ten million gold. How did anyone, much less the most wanted man on the continent, get all the way to Aurelis?</p><p>"So you're the group that reached Aurelis though the Ghoul's Teeth?" Vyland spoke up.</p><p>"We did pass the Ghoul's Teeth, yes. We also routed the Soothsires."</p><p>“I see. We intercepted Macedonian correspondence about those events. That is how we first learned of your existence.” Wolf said.</p><p>“Pretty good way to get the word out, if you ask me.” Abel said.</p><p>"Right, so let's get down to business." Cain's horse trotted so that it was next to Abel's. "Prince Marth has come to Aurelis seeking an alliance with the Resistance and your leader, Duke Hardin."</p><p>Wolf took control of the conversation. "Coyote, the one you speak of, is not here. However, we can correspond with your forces and arrange an alliance via messenger."</p><p>"Good plan. Before we leave today, though, let's sort out the details to clear any confusion."</p><p>Vyland joined Wolf, Cain, and Abel in their discussion. Despite our best efforts, the rest of the Resistance couldn't hear any of it because of how softly the four spoke. Was the matter in question that secret? Thankfully the conversation didn't actually last very long, and Abel and Cain soon left the way they came. Wolf turned around immediately after and ordered everyone to keep marching.</p><p>Cinnamon seemed all right. I hoped I gave her a long enough break. Meanwhile, Lon marched next to me. She was oddly quiet, but I wasn’t about to complain about that. Was she all right? I didn’t want to pry… We enjoyed a comfortable silence before she broke it. “An alliance with Altea… hum. And the Altean knights still exist. Who would have thought that was possible?”</p><p>“It’s exciting news.”</p><p>“Yeah. I just hope it works out.”</p><p>“I’m sure it will,” I said, my voice firm.</p><p>Lon raised an eyebrow at me. “No offense, but… weren’t you a mess earlier? How are you suddenly so confident?”</p><p>“I’m not entirely sure how. I just…” I scratched my cheek. “Those knights’ eyes seem honest. I see the same eyes in our own resistance. And I have faith. Naga was the one who gave Altea’s founder the divine blade a long time ago.”</p><p>“Ah, Falchion. Forged by Naga’s own fang… or some such.”</p><p>“Right. Naga trusted him to defeat the Shadow Dragon and save humanity. Prince Marth is a descendant of that man… I believe this alliance with Altea could be a step in Naga’s plan to save humanity from the dark dragons again.”</p><p>“Hmmm…”</p><p>“Lon, do you doubt the possibility?”</p><p>She shrugged. “Well, nah, it’d be nice if you’re right, but it can’t be that simple… can it?”</p><p>“Sometimes a simple truth is covered in a complicated web. The more I think about it, the more that war seems like that sort of thing.”</p><p>“Wow. You religious people are something else...” She trailed off.</p><p>I chuckled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”</p><p>We marched again in silence after that. I wondered what ran through Lon’s head. As for me, I occasionally glanced back in the direction that Abel and Cain left towards. I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd see a lot more of the Alteans soon…</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Final Objective</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi guys, thanks for tuning in again! I've clocked in over 220+ of New Horizons at this point. Also I'm watching a lot of Voltron. Anyway... I don't intend for battle scenes to be a big focus in this fic. I hope that's okay. This is also the point where I stopped writing the fic originally, so... I don't remember what I was planning before, but I just hope I end up writing something enjoyable to read.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>My hunch about seeing more of the Alteans got proven correct; I found myself marching towards the Aurelian Palace with Coyote and his men. Coyote reasoned that with a smaller force came more mobility and that speed would be more crucial than strength here. To that end, he only brought along his four most trusted men…and me, the out-of-place one. I was no knight like the others, just some cleric that they rescued at the start of the invasion. I didn’t qualify to be here with them on this momentous day…</p><p>“If all goes well, today we shall meet with the Alteans and oust Macedon from Aurelis once and for all.” I listened to Sedgar talk, mostly to himself. “I’m quite excited.”</p><p>“Yes, we’ve struggled so much over the last two years. It’s nice to know that all of our efforts are paying off.” Sedgar and I, along with Coyote, Wolf, Vyland, and Roshea, marched towards Castle Aurelis. Our objective was to join the Alteans and finally drive Macedon away from the plains for good. This would hopefully be the last task of the Aurelian Resistance.</p><p>“Exactly. Don’t let the excitement get to your head, though. We could still mess up, especially since there’s so few of us.”</p><p>“Right…”</p><p>Coyote suddenly raised his hand, signaling us to stop. Everyone halted and looked around. We reached Fort Claudia, recently wrested from Macedonian control. Fort Claudia was a natural stronghold, with mountains to the north and a river to the east. Aurelis had always used it as an important part of the nation’s defense, and it was one of the last fortresses to fall before the Aurelian military was forced to go underground. Today, it had become the starting point of the Resistance’s last mission.</p><p>“The Alteans are due to arrive on the other side of the river soon.” Coyote started his briefing.  “We’ll lay low until we see them. We’ll sortie once we hear the sounds of battle and rendezvous with them at the palace gates.” He turned his head to the thin blanket of trees in the distance for a moment.  “That forest is the fastest way to get past the mountains. I’ll lead the way. Roshea and Vyland, stay near me. Wolf, Sedgar, and Violette, support from the rear.” We all nodded. “Today shall end in victory. I want no retreats, no surrenders, and no casualties. Am I clear?”</p><p>“Yes, sir!”</p><p>I offered up a prayer to Naga, hoping he’d give us the strength to get out of the upcoming battle alive. Our objective was critical, and we’ll all be tested…especially me, who was only starting to get accustomed to the chaos of the battlefield. I held responsibility for everyone’s health as the sole healer as well. Regardless of my feelings, I absolutely needed to make sure no one died here.</p><p>While we waited around for the signal, I heard Roshea mumbling to himself. He was staring up into the air. “What is it?” I decided to ask him after a minute.</p><p>He turned his head to look at me and blinked. “Oh, nothing. I’m just… thinking. Violette, you’re a cleric, right?”</p><p>“Well… yes.”</p><p>“Do you think Naga is watching us now?”</p><p>“Without a doubt. Even in the darkest of times, Naga works for the good of humanity. That’s how I got through these last two years.”</p><p>“I see…” Roshea trailed off. He still had a distant look to his eyes.</p><p>I frowned. “You don’t think so?”</p><p>“No! No. I believe in Naga! It’s just that… Why did- ?”</p><p>Just then, Vyland came up to us and interrupted Roshea. “Hey! The Altean army’s been spotted. Get into your positions, guys.”</p><p>“Right!”</p><p>With Coyote at the head, we left Fort Claudia and slipped into the woods. The Macedonian soldiers patrolling nearby didn’t seem to notice our presence. At least, not until we heard our cue and charged out at them. We dispatched the patrol unit quickly, but the clash drew the attention of other Macedonians. So the battle started…</p><p>…And passed like a blur. I could see Castle Aurelis now. All six of us were pouring our absolute best efforts in this battle. Our allies did too, judging by how quickly they’ve progressed. They were already near the bridge. We were almost out of the forest. The Resistance and the Altean Army were bound to meet very soon…</p><p>Once we left the woods, I looked over the Altean forces a little more closely. Judging by the variety of their attires, they had a diverse collection of soldiers, ranging from knights and mercenaries to rather shady characters like a pirate, a thief, and…a Macedonian?! I couldn’t help but stare at that pinkish-haired cavalier. The crest on his armor…was unmistakably Macedonian…</p><p>“Violette!” Sedgar called out all of a sudden. My head snapped in the direction of his voice. “The battlefield isn’t the place to daydream. Come on!”</p><p>I-I wasn’t daydreaming… However, he was right about paying attention to your surroundings. I bade Cinnamon to move forward and catch up to the others. Even then, my eyes kept involuntarily wandering to that man…</p><p>I vaguely registered another horse slowing down to keep pace with me, but I didn’t realize that it was Stahl, Sedgar’s steed, until Sedgar startled me again. “Hey, what are you staring at anyway?”</p><p>“Uhm, there’s a man with the Alteans that’s wearing Macedonian armor…” I pointed in the cavalier’s direction.</p><p>Sedgar peered into said direction for a few seconds. “Hmmm. You’re right, Violette.  That’s definitely Macedonian armor. Interesting… I’ll take it as a good sign, if more Macedonians want to fight for good instead of their kingdom.”</p><p>“Huh? More?”</p><p>“Yeah. I already know there’s Macedonians that don’t approve of tyranny. One time, Coyote teamed up with some Macedonians to fight those abusing an Aurelian town, you know. One of them was Princess Minerva herself!”</p><p>What?! My mouth hung open. “No, I did not know…”</p><p>He flashed me a quick smirk. “I’ll tell you that story later. Right now, we should hurry and help the others take care of the enemy stragglers.”</p><p>When we caught up, though, most of the Macedonians had already been taken care of. The Altean forces were taking care of whatever Macedonians remained, save for the general standing right in front of the gates. Meanwhile, Coyote and a young man in regal blue attire were approaching each other.  We took note of the fact that Coyote had dismounted. Wolf, Vyland, Roshea, and a few of the Alteans were watching them, including a green-haired knight in heavy blue armor, a mage clad in blue, and an old man wearing purple armor that had spikes protruding from the shoulder plates.</p><p>“Wolf! Vyland! Roshea!” Sedgar called out as he and I came up just slightly behind them. “What exactly is going on here?”</p><p>“Coyote is about to talk to Prince Marth. They will decide who will go lead both forces from now on.” Although Wolf’s voice had its usual dull and disinterested tone, I knew he paid very close attention to the following conversation between the two princes.</p><p>The man in blue started first. “Duke Hardin, I am Prince Marth of Altea. I’ve come to offer what help I can.”</p><p>“And I very gratefully accept it. Stories of your exploits travel fast, young prince. I feel as though I’ve gained a thousand allies in one,” Coyote smiled.</p><p>“I’ve heard a few stories of you as well, Coyote. It will be an honor to fight alongside such a courageous man,” Prince Marth smiled back.</p><p>“Ha! I could say the same thing.” Coyote glanced around. “Well, we don’t have time for pleasantries at the moment, so let’s get down to business. I’ve left my brother and Princess Nyna someplace safe for now. We need to decide who will command here. I was hoping it would be you…”</p><p>…W-What?!</p><p>Why is Coyote offering full command to him?! He just met him! I shared stunned glances with my comrades. Even Wolf failed to hide his shock. Was no one told about this? Not that it mattered now. Between the five of us, a mutual displeasure hung in the air at the notion of obeying a foreign royal we didn’t know over Coyote, but if that’s Coyote’s decision, we’d just have to go along with it…</p><p>“Me?” Prince Marth asked, also wide-eyed and clearly shocked. “But Duke Hardin, you are far more qualified –“</p><p>“Tsk...” Coyote chuckled light-heartedly at Prince Marth’s hesitation. “Princess Nyna and my brother would not be pleased to hear us nitpicking over who will be listed in the history books. Take command so we can oust this Macedonian scum and be done with it.”</p><p>Prince Marth continued to hesitate. “…You are sure?”</p><p>“Make no mistake, Prince Marth. I consider myself an exceptionally good judge of character. If I thought you acted out of selfishness or ambition, I would not extend the offer I have. You have my trust.” Coyote sounded too sure for comfort…We should trust him, though…</p><p>He stood still for a few more moments, then he put on a more confident face and bowed respectfully. “Prince Hardin…thank you. That’s an honor. If you don’t mind me saying so…I feel as though I’ve made a good friend. We share the same ideals, I think.”</p><p>“That we do. May our friendship be a long one.” Coyote bowed as well. Why did two royals need to bow to each other? Was this some sort of symbolic gesture? I would never understand the upper class…</p><p>He then gestured to us. “Prince Marth, these are my men. Wolf, Vyland, Sedgar, Violette, and Roshea.” Each of us nodded in recognition as our names were called. Despite our reservations, we retained our composure.</p><p>Prince Marth cleared his throat afterwards. “All right, now that that’s settled, we need to take care of the rest of the Macedonians out here.”</p><p>He surveyed his surroundings and so did everyone else. The Altean army had routed most of the stragglers already. They would have engaged the general guarding the gates, but the clopping of hoof steps and the flapping of feathery wings drew everyone’s attention. Both sounds came from behind Castle Aurelis, but the hoof steps came from the northeast while the wing flapping came from the northwest.</p><p>“Macedonian reinforcements.”</p><p>“Prince Hardin, please take your men to deal with the incoming cavalry.”</p><p>“Right away.”</p><p>We all got down to business, and before I knew it, the battle finally ended. Coyote gathered us, his men, and after I checked up on all five of them, looked us over. “Excellent work, everyone. We’re almost there… Hard to believe this day is truly here. Macedon’s been cornered. All that’s left is to retake the palace. Are you all ready for the final battle for Aurelis?”</p><p>“Of course!” We said in unison.</p><p>“Excellent. Now Prince Marth wants to take a few minutes to reorganize and figure out how to integrate us into his forces. Take a rest while I counsel him. Maybe get to know some of our new allies in the meantime.”</p><p>We nodded, and then Coyote went to Prince Marth’s side. Everyone left looked to Wolf.</p><p>Wolf shifted his weight, unusually slow and hesitant.</p><p>This was going great already.</p><p>“Uhhh…” Sedgar started. “How about we go meet some of them…?”</p><p>“Y-yeah, that’s a great idea!” Roshea agreed.</p><p>Vyland just shrugged. He didn’t look very enthusiastic about the idea.</p><p>Fortunately, the decision got taken out of our hands when two familiar faces came up to us.</p><p>Vyland waved at them. “Abel and Cain, right?”</p><p>“Ah, so you remember us? Glad to hear it. We came over here because we remembered you too,” Abel said. Abel wore a friendly smile. In contrast, Cain had a more stern expression on his face and said nothing.</p><p>“How flattering,” Wolf deadpanned.</p><p>I sighed. “Wolf, they just became our allies. Please be more polite…”</p><p>A single “hmph” was his whole response.</p><p>Sedgar shook his head, a laugh escaping him. “Sorry about him, he’s always like that.”</p><p>“It’s fine. Cain here’s also being moody right now.” Abel gave Cain a pointed look. Cain gave Abel an equally pointed look back, but still didn’t say anything.</p><p>“Heh. Well, I don’t think I’ve seen you guys before, actually. I’m Sedgar.”</p><p>“And I’m Roshea.”</p><p>“I’m Violette. I was there when you first met Wolf and Vyland,” I said.</p><p>“Really now? In any case, nice to meet you all. We look forward to working with you.”</p><p>“Likewise.”</p><p>Abel looked at Cain. Cain, while still scowling, finally gave some sort of verbal acknowledgement, muffled as it sounded. I couldn’t even tell what he said. It satisfied Abel though, because he continued normally. “There isn’t much time to talk now, but we just wanted to take a minute to learn more about you guys. Like what you’re capable of, what you specialize in…”</p><p>Vyland raised an eyebrow. “Are you doubting our abilities?”</p><p>“No. We’re figuring out how to best work with you.”</p><p>Sedgar hummed. “Abel has a point, Vyland. Let’s see… Aurelis specializes in calvary and archery. Mobility and speed are what we do best.”</p><p>“Intriguing. Perhaps we could learn some techniques from each other. Altea seeks to strike a balance between offense and defense, and the first weapon given to new recruits was always a sword. I remember Gra focuses on defensive tactics and heavy armor… not that I could teach that. Draug could…”</p><p>“Sounds like a plan for after the battle,” Roshea chimed in.</p><p>I noticed Cain clench his fist at the mention of Gra. We didn’t have time to discuss anything else, because Prince Marth and Coyote called for everyone to assemble. Now or never… We would retake the palace today.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Liberation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi again, guys! Thanks for reading again. I've gotten busier, so sorry if I end up taking extra time to update later. I'm not really sure on what characters to tag in the fic besides the Aurelians. Maybe anyone who just shows up often enough? The tag freedom on AO3 is a little overwhelming, haha.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Aurelian palace had high ceilings and floors of white marble, I noticed when I entered for the first time. I didn’t get much time to look at it, however, because the army engaged the Macedonian forces in battle straight away. I ended up next to Roshea. Then Coyote assigned the two of us to a small group with none other than… that Macedonian knight I noticed earlier. Our squad also had a green haired archer and a redheaded dagger user. Together the five of us were to free prisoners of war from the palace dungeons while everyone else seized the palace. Coyote didn’t give us specific orders on what to do with the prisoners after we got them out of their cells, though. I supposed it was up to our judgment as a group.</p><p>I couldn’t help but stare down the Macedonian. Sedgar didn’t act too suspicious of him… yet we had no information on him. Wolf would have been more suspicious, I was sure. He could have been a spy…</p><p>…Oh.</p><p>The man seemed to shrink after making eye contact with me. Admittedly a bit of guilt started to settle in my mind after I saw the shame and fear in his eyes. He carried himself with such a tense posture that it didn’t look like he had much confidence in the first place. Most new recruits in the Resistance showed more bravery than he did right now. Maybe I should leave him be…</p><p>We had a few free minutes after clearing the entrance hall of enemies to determine more details of the strategy. Also to introduce ourselves, because that didn’t happen beforehand.</p><p>“I’m Julian, your resident lockpick expert. So, uh… knight boy, what’s your name? You know the way around here?” The redhead asked, looking at Roshea.</p><p>“It’s Roshea, and yes, I used to patrol the dungeons a lot, so you guys can count on me.”</p><p>“That’s a relief. I’m Gordin, by the way. I…use bows. Yeah.”</p><p>I smiled. “I’m Violette. I wield a staff, so please come to me if you need healing.”</p><p>The four of us then turned to the Macedonian expectantly. He tried to curl into himself before Julian went up to him and tapped him.</p><p>“I-I’m Matthias…” he said at last, so quiet that I had trouble catching it. He didn’t dare to look anyone in the eye. It didn’t help my suspicions.</p><p>Roshea chose not to comment on his behavior. “It really is nice to meet you all. Now that we’ve all met, we should get going. I’ll lead the way.”</p><p>The dungeons were dark and quiet. I resisted the urge to gag at the stench of unwashed body odor… not a good sign. Few Macedonians guarded the cells here. Roshea and Gordin took care of the ones we did fight, with Julian and Matthias providing them some assistance.</p><p>“It’s emptier than I thought,” Roshea said after a while. We had freed a number of Aurelian knights and citizens, but we didn’t have any weaponry to equip them with, so we told them to find somewhere safe in the palace to wait until the battle finished. Still, about half the cells held no one in them.</p><p>Then we reached one particular cell near the furthest point in the dungeons. Julian unlocked it and then balked at the lone figure in it, letting the cell door open wide and hit the wall on its own.</p><p>“What the… Rickard? What are you doin’ in here?!” Julian shouted at a short prisoner who had his light blue hair tied in a thick ponytail.</p><p>Said prisoner’s eyes were full of shock that quickly gave way to a confident grin. “Oh, uh… Hey there, Chief! Been a long time, huh?” He stood up and headed towards the door. “So, funny story: I decided to break in here and clean the place out- and then I got caught. Hilarious, right? Comedy gold. Okay, your turn. What are <em>you</em> doin’ here?”</p><p>“Me? I’ve washed my hands of thievery and joined the forces of justice.”</p><p>Rickard raised his eyebrows and waggled them. “Ohhh, really? Justice? So then this wouldn’t have nothin’ to do with some new lady friend? You always did have a soft spot for a pretty face and the right features-”</p><p>“Wha- Can it, you little fink!”</p><p>Julian whacked Rickard upside the head. He pointedly avoided looking at Matthias, who had his eyes narrowed at him in an unusually hard stare. Roshea and I shared confused glances. We turned to Gordin in silent hope for an explanation, but he only shrugged with an equally confused expression on his face.</p><p>“Ow!” Rickard rubbed his head.</p><p>“I said it’s about justice! I’m entitled to have a moral crisis now and then!” He sighed. “…You know what? Just for that, <em>you</em> are gonna work for me, startin’ right now.”</p><p>“What? Do I have to…?” Rickard pretended to be upset, but his eyes and voice gave away his contentment with the new arrangement. “Well, all right. You drive a hard bargain, but what can I say? I missed ya, Chief. Just make sure I get a cut out of the haul!”</p><p>“Yeah, whatever…”</p><p>Roshea coughed. Loudly.</p><p>“What is it, Roshea?” I asked.</p><p>“I know we need all the help we can get right now, but… he just admitted to trying to rob the palace.”</p><p>Rickard sucked in a breath. “Wha? Oh. Haha. Yer a knight of Aurelis, aren’t you? I meant cleaning Macedonian cloaks!”</p><p>Something about Roshea’s blank expression told me he didn’t believe him.</p><p>“Ahhh, don’t worry ‘bout it, Roshea. I’ll keep an eye on him. Promise.” Julian said.</p><p>“If you say so…”</p><p>“Uhh… guys?” Gordin interrupted. “Maybe we should regroup with the main force now?”</p><p>“Oh, right. We’re pretty close to the end of the dungeons… just a little bit more, and we can go up and join them. I hope they’re fine…”</p><p>Roshea took us through the rest of the dungeons, and then back up into the palace proper. Macedonian corpses were strewn all over the halls, bloodying the white marble. Roshea grumbled a bit about it under his breath. I was just relieved that we didn’t see any allied bodies… yet. By the time we found the rest of the army, however, they had already finished fighting.</p><p>Wait.</p><p>That means we won! Aurelis was free at last!</p><p>Coyote called me and Roshea over before we could think about cheering, but we went over to him with wide smiles on our faces. Behind Coyote stood Vyland, Sedgar, and Wolf.</p><p>“Coyote, we’ve freed all the prisoners we could find. We told them to find somewhere safe to hide until the battle was over,” Roshea said. I nodded along with him.</p><p>“Very well. Gather round.”</p><p>We joined the other three. Coyote faced us with pride shining in his eyes.</p><p>“Exceptional work, all of you. To think that the people of Aurelis are now free from Macedon’s tyranny… It’s only thanks to your efforts over the last two years that we’ve reached this momentous day.”</p><p>Everyone smiled. Even Wolf wore a more lighthearted expression.</p><p>“All of you deserve plenty of rest… I wish I could tell you all to relax now, or that we’re at peace now, or some other pleasantry. Yet I am not fool enough to believe that the is the end of our battles. The rest of the continent is still firmly under Dolhr’s heels. It would not do us well to idly sit back and watch everyone else continue to suffer under their draconic heels. Will you all continue to fight with me? I cannot do this without you…”</p><p>Everyone nodded without hesitation. I did too, but that was just me moving along with everyone else without thinking. Busy as I was with the day to day tasks, I hadn’t put much thought into what I would do after the Resistance freed Aurelis. We got outside help, so now we had to return the favor. Right? It was only natural and honorable way of things, yet the feeling of certainty escaped me.</p><p>Memories of my childhood flooded my head. The people of Aurelis… they might be forgotten in this war, like many were in that conflict from long ago. They needed someone to be there for them, or the greedy nobility would tear into them again, shackle them into chains like cattle again. I should be there for them, but…</p><p>Was my role in the war to last much longer than I ever thought it could?</p><p>I mentally shook the doubts out of my head. This really was not the time for them.</p><p>After our talk with Coyote, we went to the entrance hall. The entire army had assembled to greet Princess Nyna and His Majesty as they entered the palace, escorted by some of the better Resistance fighters. Not that we got to talk to them; Sedgar said we’d just stand there on either side of a path as they made their way into the throne room. Seemed dull and pointless. Then again, I wouldn’t know what to say to either of them if I got the chance anyway.</p><p>I filed in with the rest in some kind of order without complaint. Not that anyone received clear instructions on how to do so, but we managed to at least sort ourselves by country.</p><p>What a weird way to represent Aurelis.</p><p>Everyone around me tried their best to look focused… or at least, the proper knights in the army did. Rickard’s eyes wandered and lingered too long on people’s pouches. A really muscular man with a white headband tied around his head started to whistle some sort of song. And Julian… well, he kept stealing glances at the woman next to him. She had soft red hair falling past her shoulders and her face sort of reminded me of Matthias.</p><p>Wait… were they… related-</p><p>“Hey there!”</p><p>“AH!”</p><p>Lon decided to sneak up on me; I was so lost in thought that I nearly jumped out of my boots. Thankfully, I managed not to. I did, however, earn myself glares from some of the more serious-minded people around, Wolf included.</p><p>“What are you doing here?” I asked.</p><p>“I was part of the escort.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>She raised an eyebrow. “Hey, what’s with that bland reaction?”</p><p>“Uh. I’m not sure what I was expecting to hear.”</p><p>“You really make no sense sometimes,” Lon sighed.</p><p>Vyland addressed Lon before I could say anything. “You were? How did it go?”</p><p>“Oh, Vyland! It went fine. We got attacked by some stray Macedonian units on our way here, but nothing we couldn’t handle.”</p><p>“That doesn’t sound so fine…”</p><p>“Don’t worry about it, no one died! On our side.”</p><p>I supposed that was all I could ask for at this point.</p><p>Sedgar shushed us as the doors opened. Princess Nyna marched in at a steady pace, some Resistance members in armor at her side. She donned a gown as elegant as the one she wore when I first met her, except without any of the rips and tears. His Majesty, in a majestic fur-lined cloak, came in just behind her. Everyone in the army hushed down as properly as they could when they laid eyes upon those two. A regal aura could really speak wonders…</p><p>The rest of the procession went about uneventfully. I glanced over at the people next to me to stop my mind from wandering too far from reality. Sedgar, Wolf, and Vyland revealed nothing on their blank expressions. Roshea tried too, I was sure, but also his eyes were fixed on something… maybe the same woman Julian stared at earlier. Odd. Did they know each other?</p><p>“Hey, Roshea…” I started when the princess and His Majesty disappeared behind giant shut doors and everyone could stand down, “Is something the matter?”</p><p>“Ack! O-oh, Violette, it’s nothing…” He said, averting my eyes.</p><p>“Are you sure?”</p><p>“Yeah! I’m sure!” He seemed pink in the face from embarrassment. Lon snickered from behind him. The other three paid us no mind and were actually talking to people. Wolf spoke to an old man with giant spikes on the shoulder blades of his purple armor. Judging from the old man’s face, they were discussing some serious matters. Sedgar and Vyland were chatting with Abel and Cain. Cain still looked grumpy despite the other three having a good time.</p><p>…Actually, I couldn’t see Vyland’s face, but I assumed he was okay with talking to them.</p><p>A few people came up to us three as well. One of them was the Macedonian woman I wanted to ask about. She had a gentle face, white robes, and a healing staff strapped to her back; perhaps she was in the clergy like me? I also wore white robes regularly. Anyway, Julian walked next to her with a casual smile. Matthias kept pace a bit behind the two. His glare, although more subtle than earlier, never left Julian. I raised an eyebrow at the sight; what a strange trio they were, I thought, and I just met them today.</p><p>Julian gave us a casual wave. “Heya guys, Aurelis is officially free of Dolhr! Must be feeling pretty pumped ‘bout that, right?”</p><p>“Definitely! It’s all I ever asked for since joining the Resistance,” I said.</p><p>Roshea nodded but didn’t say anything. His cheeks were still a little pink… Julian gave him a funny look.</p><p>“Hey, who’re these guys?” Lon interrupted, coming up next to me. “From the Altean army?”</p><p>“We sure are, miss! I’m Julian. Nice meeting ya.”</p><p>“I am Lena,” the woman said, “and behind me is Matthias, my older brother. We are pleased to meet you.”</p><p>“Yes. H-hi,” Matthias said. He still tried to look stern but struggled to maintain it. Instead, he just came off looking rigid and awkward.</p><p>“I’m Roshea… The pleasure is mine!” Roshea finally said something, offering a bright smile. It fell a bit flat when Lena looked his way and he chuckled awkwardly. Julian stared at him again. I almost stared at him too, but kept my focus on Lena and Matthias.</p><p>“I’m Violette. It’s nice to meet you, Sister Lena,” I said, since I already met the other two earlier today.</p><p>“Oh! Are you also a member of the clergy?” Lena asked.</p><p>I lit up with excitement. “Yes! I’ve met so few others these days…”</p><p>“Indeed. The war has scattered us. The only other clergyman I’ve met in this army so far is Father Wrys. He’s a wonderful man.”</p><p>“Right,” Lon cut in, raising an eyebrow at Matthias. “Not to be rude, but err… What are some Macedonians like you doing in the Altean army? Did you desert or something?”</p><p>Roshea and I looked at each other, both of us wide-eyed. Leave it to Lon to just blurt out the burning question without a care for the potential consequences. It was too late to stop her now! Luckily, the pair didn’t seem to mind.</p><p>“Well, I… I didn’t want to be in the Macedonian army in the first place! I swear! There was this draft… Every able-bodied man except the elderly got pulled in by force. Those who refused faced death… or worse. I couldn’t escape…”</p><p>Lena put a comforting hand on his trembling shoulder. It didn’t stop Matthias’ whole body from shaking, but it managed to get him looking a little more steady. “Brother… It’s all right now. You made it here, and you’re safe here with everyone. The king can’t hurt you anymore.”</p><p>I sucked in a breath. To think that the Macedonian throne would treat its own people so harshly… things were much more complicated and nuanced than I imagined… Why did the world have to be this way?</p><p>“Yeouch, that’s horrible! What kind of king does that?!” Lon said.</p><p>Matthias bit his lip. “The kind that doesn’t truly mourn the loss of his own father.”</p><p>Lena nodded. “I used to be in the Macedonian high court. I met the current king, Michalis, there. His heart lacks compassion… he hungers for power above all. He had many disagreements with his father, who was a man of peace until the end. I left before he ascended the throne, but I cannot imagine anyone in the country being able to stop him from warmongering now that he is king. Not even his sister, Princess Minerva…”</p><p>Lon shifted her weight. “So that’s the kind of guy we’re dealing with? Just great.”</p><p>“He does seem scary…” I added.</p><p>We didn’t have any more time to talk, however, because we all got ushered back to our previous places as the giant doors opened again. Prince Marth emerged first, with Coyote and Princess Nyna flanking him. He took in a deep breath before speaking, shoulders squared:</p><p>“My friends old and new, hear me! Aurelis’ freedom from Dolhr is truly a momentous occasion. We’ve all sacrificed so much to get to this point… The Empire may seem invincible, but today is proof that we can prevail! But we won’t be able to do this without your help. Will you join us under the banner of the Archanean League? Will you fight for freedom against the empire?”</p><p> An undisputed chorus of agreement echoed through the hall. The ones who stayed silent gave a nod. Except for one guy, this man in red with brown hair down his whole back. It was twice as long as mine…</p><p>“Everyone… thank you. From here on, we fight together!”</p><p>Cheers all around. Yet did I want to stay with the army or not? What would Naga have me do?</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>